Visa services suspended with Turkey after arrest of U.S. Consulate employee

[Ed. – This is heating up, and just at a time when Turkey is entering combat in Syria more overtly than before. Turkey is also threatening to close her border with Iraq over the recent Kurdish independence referendum. The series of events is looking more each day like a fundamental break with the United States, in the sense of decoupling Turkish policy from ours — and NATO’s, to the extent there is such a thing.]

Turkey said Sunday it was suspending all visa services for U.S. citizens at its missions in the U.S., after the American Embassy in Ankara suspended non-immigrant visa services following the arrest of a consulate employee in the Islamist government’s ongoing crackdown on dissent.

“Recent events have forced the U.S. government to reassess the commitment of the government of Turkey to the security of the U.S. Mission facilities and personnel,” the U.S. Embassy said earlier in the day.

“In order to minimize the number of the visitors to our Embassy and Consulates while this assessment proceeds, effective immediately we have suspended all non-immigrant visa services at all U.S. diplomatic facilities in Turkey.” …

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